Five million reasons to fish

The NSW Government has released five million fingerlings into NSW waterways

Five million reasons to fish

The NSW Government has released five million fingerlings into the State’s waterways over the last 12 months, NSW Primary Industries Minister, Ian Macdonald, said today.

"This is great news for the State’s one million recreational fishers. It means there’s no real excuse about the one that got away," said Macdonald.

"Through Industry and Investment NSW (I&I) the State Government is stocking native fish species as well as trout and Atlantic salmon.

"Our spring stocking campaign, which gets underway shortly, will include New England trout streams and Australian Bass stockings into impoundments like the Glenbawn dam in the Hunter.

"The fish are released into public rivers, streams and impoundments under the NSW stocking program, and the dollar for dollar native fish stocking program where funds from anglers are matched from recreational fishing fees to stock local waterways."

The fish are produced at hatcheries at the Narrandera Fisheries Centre, the Dutton Trout Hatchery at Ebor (near Armidale), the Gaden Trout Hatchery at Jindabyne and the Port Stephens Fisheries Centre. Native fish are also produced at private fish hatcheries in NSW for stocking through the dollar for dollar program.

Sites are stocked by staff from I&I NSW and acclimatisation societies (for trout) based on extensive consultation with acclimatisation societies, fishing clubs and community groups and take into account the condition of the streams and impoundments.

The Minister said genetic factors and the presence of threatened species are also taken into account. An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for freshwater fish stocking is prepared and a management strategy developed to ensure that stocking is carried out under world’s best practice.

"In addition to the freshwater fish, more than 3,000,000 juvenile eastern king prawns have also been stocked in Wallagoot Lake on the NSW South Coast to enhance the recreational harvest of this species," said Macdonald.

"The eastern king prawn accounts for around 83 per cent of recreational prawn catches in NSW, and it’s estimated NSW fishers harvest over 100 tonnes of prawns each year."

Millions of fish fingerlings are released into waterways across NSW annually to enhance recreational freshwater fishing opportunities. In the last 12 months this included: